River District Antiques record haul

Last November I drove up to Wausau for a day trip and to have lunch with my friend and DJ Shotski’s biggest cheerleader, Dino. This weekend was the Wausau Park Antique Show and I drove up early to be one of the first in line. The show was a bust, but I scored some great finds in local thrift and antique stores. 

At River District Antiques I was greeted by the shop guys, Big Jim and Little Tom. Don’t let their nicknames fool you. Tom is the taller one. They keep the store ticking away and are busier than ever now that the two other longtime antique stores in town are closed. When he’s not in the shop, Tom is a professional digger who spends his free time looking for things for the antique mall. It keeps him busy enough that he says there’s not enough time to sell online.

I bought some LPs from the substantial collection in a back room, plus some 45s that were in booths here and there. At the checkout, I chatted with Big Jim and Little Tom about why I was excited to find some polka records. Jim turned on a nearby radio and found the Saturday morning polka show. Tom was especially excited to meet a polka DJ. I sometimes forget the novelty of it. His mind quickly went to work to think of the owner of the local bar where you’d find polka fans. I gave him my email and website so we could connect in the future.

It’s good to know a picker. He soon emailed me about his buddy Gary who had a couple boxes of polka records to share. Of course I will take free records, Tom! The answer to free records is always yes. Even if I already have copies of records, they will eventually get passed around to other fans. Maintaining a low-key, underground record-sharing network is part of keeping enthusiasm for polka alive.

I appreciate Tom and everyone who keeps an eye out for polka records for me. I’m happy to keep the old records spinning for new audiences.